Play Date

My pretty friend Leila brought her pretty pretty children round to Queen Village today. We went to the playground and made some new friends (except for that horrible dad that was roaring and pretending to be a lion--he was actually a little frightening!). Then we sat at New Wave cafe for eats, just like Leila and I did when she first came to visit almost a year ago. And now she lives here! The bad thing is, now I don't.

Leila and Lucas. He really is the cutest thing. And such a good boy!

Alina inspects the flowers.

Lovely Alina.

Meanwhile, in Philly...

Last few days in Philly.

Need to figure out what this one is. It's right across from the movie theater I went to the other day. It looks old and important, and probably is both. By the way, I saw Please Give. Totally recommended.

Pretty ladies.

This guy! His sign is very general... just meant to get you thinking about what you'd fancy for lunch, perhaps. But then I think if you approach him (which I have not, so I'm speculating here), he's got a menu for someplace specific to hand you. Still, I like his style and his lack of overt branding. And, apparently he offers a nice range of things. Something for everyone, really!

4th and Fitzwater.

At Val's "secret" rose garden park. I'd tell you where it is, but it's a secret! I met a new squirrel friend there. I actually chirped at him (because no one was around) and he came closer and closer to me... until someone came up and ruined our little game! Who knew I was a squirrel whisperer?

StL Times

Some captures of the last week in St. Louis...

The great room has lots going on.

Great signage across from Bevo Mill.

The Bevo Mill! Went for brunch with Maria, Big Ger, and Aunt Helen. The building has a rich history and was built by August Busch. It was originally his private dining room and was built midway between the brewery and Grant's Farm. During the prohibition, Bevo (the non-alcoholic "beer" drink) was served there. Busch studied various Dutch windmills before building his own, which is 60 feet in diameter! The building was completed in 1916 for the large sum of $250,000.





The dining room. Sadly, the brunch wasn't so hot, but it was definitely all about the atmosphere. Plus, we had Groupons! So it was, like, totally cheap! :) Either way, I will not be yelping about this one...

The gnomes were exhibited at the Paris exhibition of 1898 and cost $50,000 in 1916. Pretty nice.

Aunt Helen, dad, me.

Mom and Aunt Helen.

Also took in a Cards game. This is an iphone photo of Albert Pujols batting. I swear. I mean, you can tell the stance, right? Also, Brad Penny hit a grand slam home run. Woop!

Pattern on pattern! And new hairs!

This is Hilde cat. She is a scared-y cat.

So she likes to sit here, in her self-imposed jail.

Later, Hilde cat!


Artsy at the airport bar. Will I ever remember to check flight status before I get to the airport?? Delayed, of course...

Stateside

Left yesterday for Philly. Crashing here for just under a week. Then off to StL for about a week. Then back to Philly to get Cochino's health certificate in order for our trip back to Brussels the first week of June. It's going to be a nutty couple of weeks.

Brussels airport. Is there nothing on which they won't smack the pissing baby? And really, what is implied here? Is he filling the soda bottles with his warm elixir?? Yuck.


Clouds above Essene on 4th Street in Philly this fine morning. Did I mention that I've already snapped 4 window cats since arriving yesterday? Well I have! It's as if they knew I was back.

Amsterdam Is The Most Beautiful College Campus

So, I've only been there twice. But both times I've been to Amsterdam recently, I've felt like I'm on a university campus. It starts with me thinking, oh, I must be in the college part of the city. But then I realize that I'm not and the city itself just reminds me of a college campus. And I think that's a compliment. I mean, college campuses are designed to be beautiful and inviting, with lots of grandiose buildings and places to walk, ride, and lounge. So maybe it's the ultimate compliment that I'm bestowing on Amsterdam. Because it is beautiful and inviting... and somehow just feels so quaint.

That said, I'm not quite in love with it yet.... but I also don't know it well enough. I'm a little nervous because I wasn't hit with the rush of excitement at the possibility of living there right away as I have been with so many cities--SF, Brussels... (There's this feeling I get when I first explore a city that I would like to live in. I imagine myself there immediately, start getting excited about finding my haunts, etc. But all of this really happens in microseconds... it really is a quick generalized feeling of excitement that this new place is going to be my HOME.) But everyone keeps telling me how amazing Amsterdam is--and I know it is! If I move there, I know I will find my stride and fall in love with it. But, well, I'm not there yet--literally and figuratively.

Anyway... all of the below align with my college campus comparison. At first I thought it was just the bikes, but it's everything!

OK, this one's not fair. It looks like the picture of a frathouse lawn on a Saturday morning.

Iris Festival Last Weekend

Dragging on the blog posts of late. So much going on... including me having a cold. Gross.

Went to the Iris Festival last weekend. What a great event taking place throughout the center of the city. There was something for everyone--activities for kids; DJs and bands for the hipsters; acrobats and stilt-walkers for, well, you know who you are. The end of the last night concluded with a big concert by everyone's favorite band, Bacon Creek Caravan! Yes, in the flesh--Bacon Creek Caravan was there!

Ha! Nouvelle Vague really headlined the last night, but yes, there was a band with the aforementioned HORRIBLE name opening for them. With a name like "Bacon Creek Caravan," one would expect some sort of roots or Americana-influenced music perhaps. But they really just sounded like a watered-down Razorlight. As if Razorlight isn't watered-down enough. Oh well, much hearty guffawing entailed thanks to their awful, awful name.

DJ party with a backdrop of beautiful buildings.

This was my favorite stilt-walker. She had a carousel around her waist.

Look! Those are wooden porta-potties! WOODEN! So classy.

Some members of one of the performance troupes.

Another stilt-walker.

They love to dress up their statues here.

The zebra beckoned you to another DJ.

My Stylin' Mom

Well, Urban Outfitters was looking to post pictures of stylish moms on their blog (long story, that), so this got me thinking... I would go ahead and show off my mom on my own blog.

So it's the day after Mother's Day, but it still counts! Here are some of the photos she sent me recently. Oh, and here's what I told the UO peeps about why I look up to my mom's style:

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My mom taught me the "rules" of fashion (no white before Memorial Day; matching your shoes, belt, and bag), then inspired me to break them. She was (and still is) up on all of the trends of the time, but always with a ladylike flair and her own personal touches. Her style in the 60s and 70s--though distinctly of those eras--still looks fresh and not costumey. She taught me that it's worth it to spend a little more for that special, distinctive piece you will have for a lifetime.

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And here's the slideshow! (And if some of the scan are kinda wonky it's because my mom scanned them herself. And I don't know how fix 'em. We are a great "computer" team. heh.)

Prim n' proper with the big hair. Also, are those gloves? I think so. Loves gloves!

The pom-pom hat. The action pose. The fur coat.

Fancy at a wedding with my dad. Check out the brocade suit and the hairpiece. And gloves again...

So cute!

Grandma and mom. She recently gave me the big black fur hat she's wearing in this one.

With Holly. Love the checkerboard maxi dress.

On her honeymoon in 1966. Love everything about this one. Wish I could get a close-up on the Scandinavian-inspired shoes.

Dolphin feeding.

The family.

In SF with my pops.

So you can see where I get my interest in all things stylish, hmm? (Note to self: need to wear more gloves!) Thanks, Mom, for everything you do for me--especially for your recent trips to Philly. You are the best!

Comocomo

Saturday lunch at Comocomo (Rue Antoine Dansaert 19). Comocomo serves Basque pintxos, which are small tapas-style treats. But they get them to you on a conveyor belt, see? Much like the sushi boat restaurants in SF that delighted me so. The plates are color-coded so that all of the black plates feature meat, the blue seafood, etc. And then they charge you for how many plates you've stacked up at the end. (Oh, and the more you eat, the cheaper the plates become.) It's a great concept for a restaurant, but the food was probably a B-. I would try it again, though.


Witness the conveyor belt in action. One piece of calamari remains, keeping his shrimp buddy company.

Byron destroys aforementioned shrimp. There is always the question of eating the head. What is the protocol there? If it's all deep fried, yes? I mean, in Asia (or at Kihachi in Cbus) I'll go head first with a shrimp, but here we left them on the plate.

Sesame-crusted frog legs. These were a big disappointment. The sesame seeds really overpowered everything, so you couldn't really taste the frog. And the pool of goop under them on the plate was just kinda yucky looking.

Churros go by.

The damage.